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Tuesday, June 17, 2008

I've been hearing for a couple of months that some large advertisers were "shifting" their advertising from BET's afternoon video/ anti-black woman, man, and child programming.Last night I got an email entitled "Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Walmart and GM pull advertising from BET!!!" The email cited the recent Parent's Television Council report, "The Rap on Rap."I don't know if that means BET will still get their money and just move their ads around or if that means the money has been yanked completely.

Purportedly, part of the deal to pull the ads was that the deal remain secret. I didn't write about it because I've been SEVERELY burned before related to this issue, some of the parties involved, and back room dealing. So I said, "let me know when they issue a press release." But I am interested in secret arrangements getting made between "advocates" and large corporations. That sounds too much like the shenanigans of the past.

The New York Post is reporting that Al Sharpton and his National Action Network group squeeze money out of corporations by threatening to march on their businesses and boycott their services if they don't pay up. EURWEB

When there is no transparency, it makes me wonder what is being given in exchange for what? Has any money changed hands? Will any money change hands? Were any additional promises made? What is the cost of the silence? Because around here, we know that the cost of silence is usually far too high for Black women.

Once again, Black women and children were visible wedges/weapons used against the companies, but when it came time to play "Let's Make a Deal" what Black women had a seat at the table? I don't know and until we know that answer, I ain't jumping up and down that these companies purportedly have slunk out of out of the room in the dark of night.

Why would you be ashamed about ceasing support for the Regime of Bullets. Booty and Bling??

There is no shame about asking us to buy your products. There was no shame about funding the Regime of Bullets, Booty, and Bling. When it comes to tearing the community down there is no shame. When they announce some new "strategic" partnership with the Entertainment Industrial Complex, there is no shame. Maybe its that they don't want to let consumers know that they have the power to affect advertising decisions?

This would be a HUGE story. P&G is the largest advertiser in the world. Wal-mart, GM AND PEPSI.. that's HUGE. It is also newsworthy to know which advertisers have stayed ( Looking at you McDonalds). But I haven't seen a single article about this. So who is the purported secrecy protecting? The advertisers? BET? The advocates? because I know they aren't protecting Black women, men and children.

So for those who are curious, like me. Feel free to call them and ask them point blank. "Did you or didn't you?" and "When will you be making a VERY PUBLIC statement about your commitment to ceasing support of the degradation of Black women, men, and children."

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